Al Jazeera English Expands Reach

DOHA: Al Jazeera English (AJE) is to launch on the Austar pay-TV platform in Australia on November 15, expanding the channel’s reach to more than 180 million households worldwide. 

The global news service is joining the 40-plus channels already available in the Austar Starter Package, which has a subscriber base of 750,000 throughout the region. The channel is currently available in more than 100 countries globally. Phil Lawrie, the director of global distribution at Al Jazeera, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating today’s launch of Al Jazeera English on Austar and to be able to provide AJE to a sizeable new audience in this important market. Furthermore, we’re excited at the fact that this launch helps carry AJE to a global distribution reach of over 180 million households—a particularly notable statistic in that we have now added 100 million homes to AJE’s distribution in the three years since the channel’s launch.”  

John Porter, the CEO of Austar, commented: “With the addition of Al Jazeera English to our Starter Package, now all Austar subscribers will be able to enjoy the widest possible range and choice of international news channels of any pay-TV platform in Australia.”